At the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established.

6. Hos. xiv. 3. (2. of English version.),

ונשלמה פרים שפתינו

In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established.

alluded to in Heb. xiii. 15.

Δι' αυτού ουν αναφερωμεν θυσίαν

So will we render the calves of αινέσεως δια παντος τω Θεω τουτ' εστι,

our lips.

καρπον χειλέων, ὁμολογούντων τω ονο

ματι αυτου.

1

By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, confessing (marginal rendering) to

his name.

To these passages may be added 2 Cor. vi. 18. which seems to be a general statement of the substance of several Scriptures, and not a quotation. Dr. Randolph thinks that it is most probably a reference to 2 Sam. vii. 14. where the very words are spoken of Solomon, I will be his father, and he shall be my son: and this promise to David is introduced in verse 8. with Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, and is by the apostle applied to Christians in general. But Mr. Scott is of opinion that the apostle seems rather to apply to Christians the general declarations made by Jehovah concerning Israel. (Exod. iv. 22, 23. Jer. xxxi. 1. 9. and Hosea i. 9, 10.)2

1 This is not properly a citation, but only an allusion to an expression in Hos. xiv. 3. The phrase kapzov xeλewv, fruit of the lips, is taken from the Septuagint. In the Hebrew, it is WDD DD, which our English translation and the Vulgate version render the calves of our lips. This expression may refer primarily to the sacrifices, heifers, calves, &c. which the Israelites bad vowed to Jehovah; so that the calves of their lips were the sacrifices which they had promised. From the apostle and Septuagint rendering this word fruit (in which they are followed by the Syriac and Arabic versions) it is evident that their copies read (PaRY) the being omitted; and thus the word would be literally fruit, and not calves. This reading however is not found in any of the MSS. hitherto collated.

Dr. Randolph on the Prophecies, p. 41. Mr. Scott's Collation of the Septuagint with the New Testament, in the Christian Observer, vol. x. p. 235.

VOL. II.

49

SECTION II.

ON THE QUOTATIONS FROM THE SEPTUAGINT VERSION IN THE GREEK TESTAMENT.

I. Quotations agreeing verbatim with the Septuagint, or only changing the person, number, &c.-II. Quotations taken from the Septuagint, but with some variation. III. Quotations agreeing with the Septuagint in sense, but not in words. IV. Quotations, differing from the Septuagint, but agreeing exactly or nearly with the Hebrew.-V. Quotations that differ from both the Septuagint and the Hebrew. VI. Considerations on the probable causes of the seeming discrepancies in the quotations from the Old Testament in the New.

ALTHOUGH the sacred authors of the New Testament have in many instances quoted from the Hebrew Scriptures, as the preceding tables have shown; yet it is equally certain that they have very frequently made their citations from the Greek version usually denominated the Septuagint, even where this translation from the Hebrew is inaccurate, but where the errors are of such a nature as not to weaken the proofs for which they were alleged. In fact, as the apostles wrote for the use of communities who were ignorant of Hebrew, it was necessary that they should refer to the Greek version, which was generally known and read. Had they given a new and more accurate translation according to the Hebrew, citing as they often did from memory, the reader would not have known what passage they intended to quote and if, on the other hand, while they retained the words of the Septuagint, they had taken notice of each inaccuracy, they would have diverted the reader's attention from the main object to the consideration of trifles.' It must however be remarked, that the writers of the New Testament appear to have been so careful to give the true sense of the Old Testament, that they forsook the Septuagint version, whenever it did not give that sense, so far as they had occasion to cite it, and these citations often correspond with the present Hebrew text. The quotations from the Septuagint in the New Testament may be classed under the five following heads :- 1. Such as agree verbatim with the Septuagint, or only change the person; -2. Quotations taken from the Septuagint, but with some variation;-3. Quotations agreeing with the Septuagint in sense, but not in words; — 4. Quotations differing from the Septuagint, but agreeing exactly or nearly with the Hebrew; and,-5. Quotations which differ both from the Septuagint and from the Hebrew, and are probably taken from some other translation or paraphrase. The text of the Septuagint here re

1 Marsh's Michaelis, vol. i. pp. 215–218. Owen on the Modes of Quotation, PP.4-12.

ferred to is that termed the Vatican: and where there are any material variations in the Alexandrine text, they are briefly noticed.

I. Quotations agreeing verbatim with the Septuagint, or only changing the person, number, &c.

1 The English version of the Septuagint is given from Mr. Thomson's Anglor American translation (with the exception of two or three passages that have been altered to make them more literal), entitled "The Holy Bible, containing the Old and New Covenant, commonly called the Old and New Testament, translated from the Greek. Philadelphia, 1808." In four volumes, 8vo.

1 This is the reading of the Alexandrine MS. of the Septuagint, excepting that the evangelist reads παταξω, I will smite, instead of παταξον. "The Arabic version agrees with Saint Matthew; and Drs. Randolph and Owen both think it probable that the Hebrew ought to be read instead of for it follows in the first person, I will turn mine hand, &c. See Houbigant in loc. Kennicott's Dissertatio Generalis, § 44. Randolph on the Quotations, p. 30. Owen on the Modes of Quotation, p. 54.